H.A.V.E.N. Update
By Cathleen Osborne-Gowey (Program Admin – Crime Victim Advocate) 541.602.0616 or COsbornegowey@estoo.net
Upcoming Events:
Support Group will now be IN PERSON: Please call our office for details.
Program Update:
Hello all –
Spring is HERE and we have hope for sunshine and warm weather! Our program has a great deal of hope as well. Our OVW -VAWA and Office for Victims of Crime FY 21 grant budgets were approved, and funds were made available for Haven to use! We are excited to be able to continue to provide advocacy and services to clients. This past month VAWA was reauthorized – ensuring Haven’s federal funding and resources for several more years. Below we’ll explore what VAWA is, what it means, and what changes have come with the reauthorization.
Reauthorization of VAWA
This week, President Biden signed into law the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022. You may have seen it on the news, but you might be wondering what is VAWA? Why is it important?
What is VAWA
“The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) creates and supports comprehensive, cost-effective responses to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking”. In a nutshell – it’s the federal law that has created federal grant funding that has allowed our tribe and many others to start advocacy programs and provide services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, dating violence, and human trafficking.
VAWA’s Journey
The Violence Against Women Act was first passed in 1994 and then reauthorized in 2000, 2005, and 2013. Each time it expanded access to safety and support for all survivors and increased prevention efforts. However, it was the reauthorization in 2013 that “VAWA 2013 restores concurrent criminal jurisdiction to tribal governments over non-Indians having significant ties to the tribe and who commit domestic violence and dating violence against Native women in Indian country or violate protection orders”. This was a large step toward protecting Native women on tribal land, it meant tribes could prosecute non-Indians “who assault Indian spouses or dating partners or violate a protection order in Indian country”.
What’s New in the 2022 Reauthorization of VAWA
- Reauthorizes all current VAWA grant programs until 2027 and in many cases increases granting amounts. This means programs that fund HAVEN have secured funding until 2027!
- Expanding special criminal jurisdiction of Tribal courts to cover non-Native perpetrators of sexual assault, child abuse, stalking, sex trafficking, and assaults on tribal law enforcement officers on tribal lands.
- Increasing services and support for survivors from underserved and marginalized communities—including for LGBTQ+ survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking; funding survivor-centered, community-based restorative practice services; and increasing support for culturally specific services and services in rural communities.
- Establishing a federal civil cause of action for individuals whose intimate visual images are disclosed without their consent, allowing a victim to recover damages and legal fees; creating a new National Resource Center on Cybercrimes Against Individuals; and supporting State, Tribal, and local government efforts to prevent and prosecute cybercrimes, including cyberstalking and the nonconsensual distribution of intimate images.
- Improving prevention and response to sexual violence, including through increased support for the Rape Prevention and Education Program and Sexual Assault Services Program; expansion of prevention education for students in institutions of higher education; and enactment of the Fairness for Rape Kit Backlog Survivors Act, which requires state victim compensation programs to allow sexual assault survivors to file for compensation without being unfairly penalized due to rape kit backlogs.
- Strengthening the application of evidence-based practices by law enforcement in responding to gender-based violence, including by promoting the use of trauma-informed, victim-centered training and improving homicide reduction initiatives.
- Improving the healthcare system’s response to domestic violence and sexual assault, including through enhanced training for sexual assault forensic examiners.
- Updating the SMART Prevention Program and the CHOOSE Youth Program to reduce dating violence, help children who have been exposed to domestic violence, and engage men in preventing violence.
What does all this mean – it means Haven has secured funding through 2027, some grants will increase, there will be more focus on funds for services and outreach and education, and tribes have more jurisdiction over non-Native offenders!
If you have questions, please contact HAVEN and talk with one of our advocates about how we can help and what services Haven can provide.
If you are able please call or see the messaging links above:
Haven Office: 918-554-2836
Text Line: 918.533.3070
Crime Victim Advocate: 541.602.0616
Program Website: https://havenprogram.com/
Program Email: havenprogram@estoo.net
Facebook: HAVEN Tribal Program, Twitter: @ProgramHaven, Instagram: HAVENTRIBALProgram.
Our advocates are here to help!
